...whether you are into Waldorf education or not. I am not a Waldorf purist---meaning I do not send my children to a Waldorf school (I homeschool)or necessarily follow or believe in Rudolf Steiner's philosophy. Yet I have read several Waldorf books on caring for and educating children, because they are very wise as to what children really need. They DON'T need the media, malls, plastic toys, the latest styles in clothes, or a life of being pushed from this lesson to that club. What they DO need is plenty of peace and quiet (AT HOME!!), simplicity in all forms (in their toys, their life schedule, their food, etc.), and they need routine in their day, and they need to be loved and understood and treated like children, not mini adults. The author of this book is such a wonderfully calm woman...I wish she had been my own mother!! She really understands children and what they need. Her calm wisdom just flows from every page of this book. This is an easy book to read, a plus for any busy parent. She speaks of the importance of rhythm in the life of chidren, the importance of play , the importance of calmness, and she has a chapter on creative discipline. Our society is so crazy, it is so hard for adults to cope in this modern lifestyle; think of how much more difficult it can be for children.

A few things she talked about really stood out to me. One was how her one son could come down with a fever after a shopping trip to the mall, because it was too much for him to handle. We need to consider that children need to have QUIET lives! Another thing was that they had an 11 yr. old foster child live with them, and this child said that noone had ever read her a bedtime story. The author loved this child, but because she was ignored and unloved in her earlier years, it was never possible for her to really love or be loved. This brought out the importance of the early years in the life of a child, for they are truly the formative years of a person's character and personality. We cannot afford to ignore the years from birth to age 7. And the one thing that was so neat was that one mother asked the author to suggest what she could get for her preschool son, for the only thing she could think of was a video game. The author suggested a playstand, some cotton cloths, some baskets filled with clothespins, crystals, etc. The mother thought this was weird, but she did it. Well, was she ever surprised that her son LOVED these gifts, and spent all Christmas day playing happily with his sister!! We CAN be simple with our children, and because if it, they CAN be creative and happy. Do yourself and your children a favor and read this book. You'll be glad you did.

This is a goooood book. Very inspiring. Easy and quick to read. Well laid out, so I can go back and re-read stuff; like her great reading suggestions! I'm going to throw the word gentle in here. It's as if she's right there holding your hand and encouraging you....I mean me. Good, good, good.

Finally, a parenting book that makes sense! In a gentle, easy, and non-threatening way this book teaches the importance of creative play, the necessity of daily routine, and the merits of creative discipline. The suggestions work and are easy to incorporate into any lifestyle. As the mother of a preschool child I found this book to be reassuring and comforting. Learning to use statements with the directive "You may" as in "You may put on your shoes now" produced immediate results -- as did limiting choices, which ultimately made everyone feel more secure.

This is a phenomenal book -- it belongs on every parents nightstand, on bookshelves in our schools, and as required reading for elementary educators. I recommend this book to expectant parents, parents with young children, and anyone who values and understands the importance of a nurturing environment for children.

This is the long awaited basic textbook for osteopathic medicine. It is surprisingly complete, covering philosophy, history, research, and manipulative techniques. The beginning osteopathic student may find it most useful for its practical discussion on the techniques--high velocity, myofascial release, etc. I believe it is also helpful in standardizing our terminology, which will make it easier when taking board exams or talking with colleagues from other osteopathic schools. It includes contributors well known within the osteopathic community, including Michael and William Kuchera, Melicien Tettambel, Eileen DiGiovanna, and many others. As a family practice resident I frequently turn to this textbook first when I want to know more about how to treat a patient or when preparing lectures for students and housestaff.

This text is actually required reading for most if not all osteopathic medical students. It is a 'textbook', however, and hence completely (sometimes exhaustively!) comprehensive. But it is easy to read so that anyone with an interest in OMT will get a methodic how-to for myriad techniques, also a thorough history of osteopathic medicine to boot! One of my OMT professors at the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine wrote or co-wrote a few of the chapters so of course, I think those are the best! If you are looking for an educational approach to learning manipulation and the reasons behind it, this is a valuable resouce.

I agree with most of the criticism on the three subjects, but with reservations.
That the Ennegram seems to work as a personality analysis tool confirms the depth of the symbol. I can not see that there is anything wrong in putting the Enneagram in use. The value of the Enneagram, or any other symbol, system or idea, can only be in its use. Looking at the Enneagram and admiring its form is one thing, but does not take us anywhere.
As to Mouravieff - I do think it is a great pity that he tried to marry up Gurdjieff and Christianity in areas where there are no chances of doing it without becoming ridiculous; "The Fifth Way" is just one of the inventions. Having not followed it I do not know where it takes you (if it does).
The Fellowship of Friends is not exactly following Gurdjieff's teaching, but that is not to say that one could not learn something from them. At least a bit of marketing...

I enjoy watching orthodoxy end up on garbage pile to be picked over by scavengers. Often more vitality grows out of the mulch of criticism than existed in the original teaching. Do we not recall how one man sitting under a tree claimed a spiritual awakening and the now countless, differing schools of Buddhism that exist as a result? Or Christian churches? Likewise, the enneagram movement could not be stopped. Why are some people whining about it now? Most critics seemed more concerned with their own RIGHTS as being esteemed Fourth Way scholars than they are with the RESULTS that even the most vulgar disemmination of "their" knowledge has brought to "ordinary people." Get over it. A new religion exists. And like all religions, some will use it, some will abuse it, but most will merely worship it and do nothing more. I gave this insightful, ranting book five stars for contributing to the fray while ignoring results. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.

Let me start by saying I'm not involved with any 4th Way group or part of the Ennegram craze.

Mr. Patterson has dared to take on some of the spiritual cannibals that have stolen and distorted the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff. Though this book is guaranteed to infuriate followers of Palmer, Ichazo, Burton's cultists, Amiss etc.

First he takes on the Ennegram popularizes like Ichazo, Naranjo and the voluminous Helen Palmer who dared to claim instruction by a noted 4th Way teacher and turned out to never have met the man. Patterson also exposes her as a shallow new-age type of thinker with a penchant for self-promotion through her own words.
She has no real lineage nor even formal instruction in the 4th way nor any real tradition for that matter. Of course the shadowy showman Ichazo(much like Castenada) is put in for good measure. He systematically goes about deconstructing Ichazo premises on the ennegram and his mythical and oft changing spiritual pedigree.

Patterson then goes after The Fellowship of Friends or people of the Bookmark(as known here in Calif - as his followers used to stuff burton's calling cards in 4th Way books.) A 4th way cult based on Burton's strong persona. Patterson show's Burton to be a posuer and con-artist without real instruction or lineage. Burton main claim to fame is his ability to milk money out of followers and make himself wealthy. F of F is also a considered a outright cult. Check out Steve Hassans web site for info.

Another target is Robin Amiss(...) and his long dead predecessor Boris Mouravieff who concocted the notion that Gurdjieff's teachings were fundamentally derived from Eastern Christianity. Amiss is shown to be a clever fabricator of facts in his book "A Different Christianity" and distorter of truths. Patterson does a fine job exposing Mouravieff motivations for doing what he did.

Amiss is taken to task in a systematic manner in which he compared G's teachings to Eastern Orthodox material. Replete with references he demolishes Amiss's claims. BTW all anyone needs to do is get a copy of O's "In Search of the Mircaluous" a copy of the Philokalia or Theophans works and compare them. You'l see that there is no place for a householder in serious myticism. It's for monks only. St. Theophan was a hermit and monk - hardly someone who understood the way of the householder.
Also there is no mention of 'self-observation' or 'self-remembering'. Anyone whose ever practiced the Jesus Prayer and done any sort of 'self-observation' knows they are not the same.
Amiss's hidden teachers are also shown to be fabrications without reality.

You'll also learn how Mouravieff played a in the split between Ouspensky and G. And how he conned O into delaying publication of "Tales of the Miraculous"

Overall a fine book demonstrating how self-taught self-promoters can [copy] teachings and convince people they have the real thing. So much so that their followers can longer know the real deal from the fake. If Patterson comes off shrill or a purist perhaps it's because so many people have stolen from G and peddled garbage under his name.

Overall a fine book on that belongs estoricist reader's bookshelf.

This is an interesting resource for classroom teachers looking for alternative ways to get chemistry into art students. However, I found the book not very useful for my purposes homeschooling a teen interested in art. The labs are designed for school labs with expensive equipment and chemicals we can't get for home use. The presentation is not really graphic enough to appeal to my arts oriented child. However, there is a new edition of the book coming out this fall (2002), according to the publisher, and maybe it will improve some of these things. Sample labs included how to make oil paint binder. All the labs relate to the arts in some way. There is a section on colour and one on metal jewelry making. It covers a lot of high school chemistry in an art friendly way. An interesting read that both my daughter and I were disappointed we couldn't use.

Jean

I really enjoyed this book because it helped me at a time when I needed to develop some personal effectiveness. This book is contemporary with John Molloy's Women's "Dress for Success Book" and Richard Nelson Bolles' "What Color is Your Parachute?" Ms. Patterson offers tips on defining and achieving your goals, developing a professional attitude and evaluating your education. A MUST for both men and women between jobs, those wanting to change careers or desiring to reassess their lives, in general

Sex education for 3-6yr olds should be simple but should also reassure that they started life like everyone else in the world. It goes on to say why birthparents could not be parents is about them and not about the child. Using simple almost coloring-book style outline drawings (which my son does love to color in) it tells how life began, how birth happens, that every child is born to a woman. It also avoids the "a man is in love with a woman" problem that I wanted to avoid and instead talks of biology of a man's sperm and womans egg joining. From there to the "that child is you" part are many places to talk about your child's own adoption. This book is suitable for young child as well as infant adoption and for children that have been in foster care too. The womb that floats on a page unconnected to a woman is harder to explain but over-all this is a good book, much less complicated than many.

What is it not about? : Gossip, lies, boasting, turning the truth upside down, praising one-self (particularely by using pseudo-names and writing reviews about ones own books, yes, that happens very strongly with Patterson). I could go on and on.

"The Gurdjieff-work" has been quite protected until now, but now it seems, that since most of the great followers have died, the the old saying can be applied: When the cat is out, the mice are dancing. Well, here we have quite a big mouse, rather a...

The reviews under the name of Ivan Butovitch and under R. Cazares have the same style. I do not trust these reviews.
The reviews of "Eating the I" by the same author stronly
suggest that this problem is repeating itself here again!

I was very curious about this book, but after reading it, I found that it is basically advertisement for Pattersons workline, and trying to put down others. Clever attempt, but
not for the serious. Patterson gives in to the fascination of
the "rainbowpress", reducing readers and writers to this sort of "sharks, thriving in pecking in the serious work and suffering of people, who are far above them"!

Nothing about transformation, only self-love, self-importance,
condescension towards women and lots of hidden advertisement.

It's hard to believe that the same man who wrote the brilliant "Struggle of the Magicians" also wrote this thing. We can only assume that Patterson evolved very much both as an individual and as a writer in the intervening years (this is the earlier work). The book is an inelegant string of shameful incidents in the author's life; he merely presents them with a sort of glee at his own ability at objective (in his mind) self-disclosure, without ever mentioning in any detail about how Gurdjieff's ideas ever helped him to use these incidents in transcending himself. You can get that much from daytime talk shows, if you want it. It seemed at the very end that the book had a happy ending, when Patterson seems to be leaving those antedeluvian "masters" like Gurdjieff and Jung behind (having discovered a true anti-guru in Sunyata), but unfortunately for him and perhaps fortunately for readers, it didn't turn out that way. To this day he continues to propagate the Gurdjieff cult in a series of wonderfully well-written books that are easily the best of their dubious kind.

This is an esoteric book that most people won't recognize as such. That's because of the picture most people have of what constitutes an esoterically spiritual person. The pursuit of an ultimate reality beyond the cacophony of mundane life is connected with images of serene meditating monks, of wandering recluses, of wide-eyed dreamers and spooky mystics. To read instead a book full of parties and socializing, office politics, career moves, flirtation and adultery, and ego posturing seems odd. "Real" esoteric and spiritual people are expected to get away from petty socializing, to take vows of poverty and chastity, and to put their all into the pursuit of some strenuous austerity or achievement, as do monks, yogis and fakirs. But this book is about the Fourth Way, in which mundane life is grist for the mill of self-development.

It covers a period in the adult life of William Patrick Patterson. He's a writer and editor in the cutthroat milieu of New York City. He's also married, and tempted by bold, modern women. He rises like a meteor and is shot down by an office competitor. He knows wealth and poverty, arrogance and fear. He finds and honors a rare spiritual teacher. More than one in fact. There's cussing, drinking, verbal clashes, and relationships gone bad.

It's not the bald subject matter, but the insights and principles that illuminate it that distinguish this book from an ordinary memoir. Here is one of many examples: Patterson faces an ugly truth underlying his employment situation concerning the way a boss is using and mistreating him. He withdraws his cooperation from the boss at a critical moment, knowing full well the it will at least create extreme unpleasantness at the office if not result in his ultimate dismissal. He has upset an equilibrium that needed to be upset, yet what will the consequences be? Can he get control and set the situation right or not? There is no way of knowing this at the moment his decision must be made. He is on a fatal trajectory that continues when the co-worker confronts him and demands an explanation for Patterson's absence from an award dinner. Should he appease his adversary by making a phony excuse? "These two "I"'s inside me debate. The one, very rational, mature-sounding. The arguments are so reasonable, sensible. So what if I lie - so what? But then, just at the last instant, a feeling comes of total disgust - disgust for what stood before me, disgust with that whole way of life. And inside that feeling a silent voice declares: I-am-not-going-to-lie-to-him.

I tell him: "No excuse."

"What!" he screams and sags, a look of horror, bewilderment, frozen to his face .......

And something falls away and I know right then: I have broken free of him."

Later he tells his wife that he'll apologize if she really wants him too but is not optimistic about doing it, because: "I feel like there's you know, a big movement going on. Big wheels are turning. I'm at the interval in the octave. all this has to happen. I'm being moved on now."

How right he was. At the end of the book he had moved on and found some peace. With his wife, with his departed teacher the formidable Lord Pentland, and with a new career. No this is not a book claiming that the Fourth Way will make one rich, sexy, happy, or lucky. But it is about what the study and practice of the Fourth Way looks like from the inside of a modern man in modern society, which is where it was meant to be practiced all along.

Patterson seems to see himself up as Mr. Judge, or lets call him "Mr Judge of the Fourth Way". What pompous behaviour. He never met any of the women he writes about, has no idea about their reality, but presents a picture, which might mislead many readers, who did not have the chance to meet some of the "great men and women" of the Gurdjieff work. Patterson crusades for his own pseudo-Gurdjieff-line, look at his webside and look at the pictures of Gurdjeff and others, look at the style, the colours, feel the energy! This is Gurdjeff reduced to Pokemon-comic-quality! I bet, Patterson even dreams strongly about a Patterson Line, this Patterson, who understood Gurdjieff the best, who outclassed Ouspensky, Bennett, Orage, the Rope... (see "Struggle of the magicians"). Mama Mia.... or God help us !

The book seems to be really interesting, I was quite taken by it when I first read it. I sought, this man really got some serious information together. But then, after studying carefully the sources, it was clear, that this was not at all the case. What Patterson is doing is "Sensation-Journalism". These Sensation Journalists remind me of the dark ages or early middle ages. Like in these days the cross was misused, Patterson misuses his collections, and suddenly everything is holy and justified. Who does not go along with these Sensation-Journalists, is a heretic.
They really believe, that their press-pass gives them the right to dig in the life of others and sniff around to find whatever might be sensational, while in truth its nothing else than an excuse for their own cheap upside-down goals.

Ladies of the Rope is a fascinating journey through the lives of a group of women: Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap, both co-editors of The Little Review; Kathryn Hulme, author of The Nun's Story and Undiscovered Country; Solita Solano, author, editor and companion of Janet Flanner who wrote for The New Yorker; Georgette Leblanc an actress, and Louise Davidson.

Although quite different from one another this group of women would come to share a common aim, to awaken. They would become the Ladies of the Rope, a group of women, all lesbian except one, that G.I. Gurdjieff choose to disseminate his teaching of the Fourth Way in Paris in 1935 .

The book is an intimate account of lunches, dinners, trips, meetings, conversations and life with Mr. Gurdjieff. These times were used by Mr. Gurdjieff to deliver "shocks" to allow them to see themselves as they truly were, not as they thought themselves to be. The author did extensive research in numerous archives, which enabled Ladies of the Rope to be told factually through letters, diaries, notes and memoirs.

Because it is based on their own writings and notes, this book is an authentic exploration of their friendships, personal relationships and their work with Mr. Gurdjieff. The author gives the reader an inside look at who the ladies of the rope were before they met Mr. Gurdjieff, during their days with their teacher and after his death. It shows a glimpse of the teacher/student relationship Mr. Gurdjieff shared with this group of women and the lifelong bond the women shared with one another.

This book is unparalleled, as no other work exists that has told this wonderful story. For those of us too feeble to make the long trek to another country to search out and carefully study these women's papers and notes, a big, big, Thank You to the author. Finally these women have been brought to light as the group of true warriors in the Work that they were and still are.

When you think of James Patterson, this is not the type of book that would come to mind. Basically it is an end of the world, apocalyptic type thriller. Two virgins are pregnant, one with the son of Christ and one with the son of Satan. Floods, famine, disease, etc. is spreading across the world and can only be stopped if the son of Satan is destroyed. Sound weird? Well it is. More of a Stephen King or Dean Koontz type of book, and they would likely do it better. In all honesty if it hadn't been written by Patterson, I may have not even read it.

It is relatively entertaining if you can stretch your imagination, and it is definitely fast paced: I finished it in one evening. However it really isn't that great of a book. First, there are way too many characters. The only character you can really feel anything for is Anne, because her story is told in the first person. As for the rest of the characters you feel so detached from them you really don't care what their fate will be. They aren't very well drawn out either past a surface level. The writing also isn't up to the quality that you expect from Patterson. Also, the ending is very cheesy. As well, the entire time I was reading I couldn't help but think of the Schwarzenegger movie 'End of Days' I was half expecting Arnie to appear in the book at any time saying "I vil stop ze Devil" There were also some glaring editing errors. One major one that comes to mind was the fact that early in the book Anne was "nearing thirty", and at the end she was 34 years old. Very rapid aging indeed. Perhaps it was due to the apocalyptic circumstances? Hmmm... I could go on with more errors but I digress. You just shouldn't see sloppy editing like that in a novel by a top author.

Overall, I would say that as a library book it was OK, but if I had paid money for it I would be disappointed. Patterson should stick with what he does best, and should also take a little more care in his writing.

Long before there was Alex Cross, before there were any spiders coming along, before any girls got kissed, before any nursery-rhyme murders took place, James Patterson wrote a book called "Virgin". It was about two teenage girls, both of whom were pregnant, both of whom were virgins. One carries the Savior in her womb, the other the spawn of Satan. Get the picture? It was one of Patterson's earlier efforts and it read like one. "Cradle and All" is the re-birth, if you will, of that earlier novel and the difference, to my mind, is light years.

Patterson brings this early effort up to speed and modernizes it. This one contains mentions of the internet and even 'N Sync has a reference. But what he also brings is a more polished style of writing and that, I think, is all to the better for the reader. Sure, the story is more along the lines of a made for TV movie, but Patterson uses his usual bag of tricks - short, distinct chapters, lots of dialogue, and many changes of scene - to move the plot along. Anne Fitzgerald is a former nun now turned private eye. She is asked by the Cardinal of the Archdiocese of Boston to investigate, Kathleen, one of the virgins. She ends up going from being Kathleen's investigator to being Kathleen's protector. She does meet the other virgin, Colleen, who lives in Ireland (natch), but Colleen is investigated more by Father Rossetti, a priest from the Vatican, who is told the third and final secret of Fatima. And that's what get's everyone running. You know that you are in for a good time when the Cardinal asks Anne two questions right in a row" "Do you believe in God?" followed by "Do you still carry a gun?". Oh boy!

Patterson adds an epilogue to this story that tends to tie the loose ends up a little better and the secret of "Who's who" or, perhaps, "Who isn't", is somewhat revealed with a clue early in the book. Still, Patterson goes great guns with the action. This is a good read for a rainy saturday afternoon. It has everything anyone would want: action, intrigue, supernatural elements, mystery, romance, cradle, and all. Enjoy.

CRADLE AND ALL is foremost a supernatural thriller - a genre in which James Patterson is a firsthand, but the twisting suspense and elements of hysteria still manifest in the book. The plot thickens with two girls Kathleen and Colleen, one in America and the other in Ireland both experiencing virgin birth and soon the hype is brewing stronger with questions of faith and religion - even to the point of the recairnation of Mary of Nazareth.Father Rosetti is sent from the Vatican City to pursue the incident and soon finds out one may be giving birth to the son of Satan.

CRADLE AND ALL's concept is incredulous; but accept it - readers will be treated to a read with stupendous climax towards the end where the twist is unpredictible and the revelation - an ultimate surprise. The middle of the novel tends to hit a snag with Patterson rhethorically describing the fear in Kathleen over - but rescues it after the story takes flight again when the birth arrives.

James Patterson's supernatural fable will please fans and enthrall with its fusion of religion, emotions and strong characters that stand by themselves.